By now, ‘vegan January’ – or ‘Veganuary’ if you’re into clunky portmanteaus – is a solid fixture in the Berlin gastro calendar. If we’re honest, it feels pretty good to forgo meat and animal products for a while after the greasy excess of Christmas.
Berlin makes it so darn easy. The selection of vegan restaurants, cafés and shops offering vegan-friendly treats make it less of a sacrifice and more of a month-long culinary adventure. And who knows, you might even... stick to it?
Fine dining at Lucky Leek, vegan of course. Photo: Sebastian Happe-Hartanto
Lucky Leek: Michelin-rated gourmet
Craving some high-end Berlin cuisine this Veganuary? No problem: instead of imitating meat products like some vegan restaurants, the Lucky Leek chose to invent its own cuisine. Think red cabbage risotto, celery sashimi and chickpea wantan.
Normally, fixed-menu dishes are served – dishes awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Guide Michelin, no less. During lockdown there’s the Lucky Leek feast box to take home, containing 10 delicacies from cashew cheese to rice tartare, teriyaki and chickpea fillet for €39.
Lucky Leek Kollwitzstraße 54, Prenzlauer Berg, Wed-Sun 18-22, order gourmet box via order@lucky-leek.com
Israeli cuisine, vegan interpretation at Café Pilz. Photo: Aida Baghernejad
Café Pilz: An Israeli feast
In summer 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, Café Pilz took over the premises of former Brunch temple No. 58 Speiserei. Named after a historic café in Tel Aviv, Israeli-rooted cuisine is presented here in miniature, in a charmingly small space. What does that mean? Small plates for a reasonable €3 to €4 each, suitable for sharing but also very tasty on their own, served with home-baked pita bread with za'atar, a spice mixture bursting with thyme and sesame seeds.
Of course there’s great silky hummus, a point of honour, but also roasted aubergine, the most amazing jacket potatoes in town, and much more. You don’t even notice that all the dishes are vegan unless someone points it out. From mid-January 2021, the team will once again open regularly for takeaways – and give our Veganuary in Berlin a culinary upgrade!
Café Pilz Weinstraße 58, Neukölln, Thu-Sun 12-22
Meatball sub, cheeseburger and cheese fritters – all homemade and vegan at Maria’s. Photo: Aida Baghernejad
Maria’s: Italian-American classics
You might still know Maria as the ‘New Deli Yoga Café’, but some time ago she converted her little eatery away from a café, towards a restaurant with evening service and soul food. Now a new era is dawning in the restaurant: “I want to make classic Italian-American comfort food, like in a New York deli,” says Maria, the brains and heart behind Maria. Only vegan. And homemade – right down to the mozzarella substitute.
Her inspiration, by the way, came from the pandemic, of all things: Maria noticed how everyone around her was longing for comfort food like burgers, fries or pizza. We strongly recommend the ‘Meatball Sub’ and the cheeseburger. And, don’t worry: they also do delivery.
Maria Vegan Comfort Food Falckensteinstraße 37, Kreuzberg, Mon-Wed 12-16, Thu+Fri 12-16, 18-23, Sat 18-23
A ‘Jollof Bowl’ at Ataya Caffe. Photo: Ataya Caffe
AtayaCaffe: West Africa meets Southern Europe
The vegan restaurant is a joint venture in which Italian and Senegalese cooking traditions meet.The result? A hella colourful spread! From January 15, the fusion restaurant opens its doors again for vegan delicacies as takeaways. Be sure to try the Senegalese mafé – and turn Veganuary in grey, grey Berlin into a kaleidoscopic escape.
Ataya Caffe Zelter Straße 6, Prenzlauer Berg, Tue-Thu 12-16, Fri+Sat 12-16 & 18-22, Sun 11-16
Beautifully delicious vegan cakes are also available at Café Neundrei in Mitte. Photo: Café Neundrei
Café Neundrei: Top-notch vegan cakes
Mitte’s Café Neundrei, nestled between Monbijoupark and Hackescher Markt, serves mostly vegan food. Alongside delicacies such as carrot-coconut cake and spelt-blueberry scones, there are cookies, bowls, porridge, sandwiches and soups of the day to be gorged apon. And if that’s not nutrient-rich enough, spirulina crumble and matcha mousse will seal the deal.
Café Neundrei Monbijouplatz 2, Mitte, Mon-Fri 8-18, Sat 9-17
geh Veg: Feel-good breakfast
This isn’t your typical café, but the name is great and the menu is special. Sometimes you don’t need a piece of cake or pie with your Haferccino – although geh Veg has a fresh selection of these every day – but a few fluffy vegan blueberry pancakes. A feel-good breakfast indeed!
geh Veg, Triftstraße 37, Wedding, Mon-Fri 10-18, Sat+Sun 10-19
Der vegetarische Metzger: A butcher’s shop – without animal suffering. Photo: imago images / Steinach
Der vegetarische Metzger: Carnivorous
This veggie butcher, which once had a shop on Bergmannkiez, claims to be a pioneer in meatless meat. Jaap Korteweg is a ninth-generation farmer and founder of Der vegetarische Metzger – The Vegetarian Butcher. When swine flu and mad cow disease had the Netherlands firmly in their grip, he decided to fundamentally change his business model. Though his Bergmannkiez location has closed, you can still buy his goods online.
Sotto: Pizza happiness
Italy meets Finland and opens a Neapolitan pizzeria in Berlin – that's pretty much the story behind Sotto. The toppings are local and seasonal, by the way, and exclusively vegan and vegetarian. And they’re damn tasty. Even better: you can now buy their wines by the bottle.
Sotto, Neue Hochstraße 25, Wedding, Tue-Sun 16-22
Photogenic donuts at Brammibal’s Donuts. Photo: Christin Ludwig
Brammibal’s: Photogenic vegan donuts
Donuts being vegan is almost unthinkable: the batter needs egg, milk and butter in large quantities and they’re best cooked in clarified butter. Not here: the very hip chain is known for its creative and highly Instagrammable vegan donuts. On special occasions like New Year’s Eve, they also serve the jam-filled classic. The assortment changes monthly – in January we can 100% recommend the Coffee Cream variety, with €1 of each donut sold going directly to Tierheim Berlin.
Brammibal’s Donuts several branches, including Alte Potsdamer Straße 7, Mitte
Vegan kebab? Works especially well at Vöner & Wagenburger. Photo: imago/Bernd Friedel
Vöner & Wagenburger: Kebab delights
The owner’s place of residence – the former Wagenburg at Rummelsburger Bucht – gave the vegetarian burger shop its name. Originally, the burgers were sold directly from an old circus wagon at festivals. Now even more popular: the Vöner Kebab. A Vöner plate with homemade fries, cheese substitute and fried onions is a particularly dirty treat. They reopened just in time for January 1 after a corona pause. Veganuary in Berlin would be unthinkable without kebabs, after all. Bonus tip: Pi-Love in Neukölln also does a really decent vegan döner.
Vöner & Wagenburger Boxhagener Straße 56, Friedrichshain, Sun-Thu 12-18, Fri, Sat 12-20
Spanish tapas, vegan-style. In January 2021, the famous egg-free tortilla de patatas will be available to take away. Photo: Lena Ganssmann
Alaska Bar: Vegan Spanish tapas
Delicious after-work tapas and drinks – and all without animal ingredients. In Neukölln, there are now numerous exclusively vegan establishments – and Alaska Bar is among the finest. Visitors should start with the homemade vegan cheeses.
This January, Alaska opens only at weekends – be sure to check their Facebook or Instagram – with a slimmed-down menu. Thick Spanish hot chocolate with churros to dip, for example, vegan potato tortilla and traditional bread with tomato, Spanish croquettes, or, as a special offer, homemade vegan Argentinian sausages in bread with chimichurri.
Alaska Bar Reuterstraße 85, Neukölln, Tue-Sat 18-3, Sun 18-00:30
Excellent vegan-vegetarian Chinese cuisine. Photo: Tianfuzius
Tianfuzius: Top vegan Chinese cuisine
Berlin’s first vegetarian Chinese restaurant offers a culinary range that stands out from the city’s standard Chinese fare. Think hot-sour soup with water chestnuts, a clear winter melon soup, or warm, spicy noodle salad with pickled vegetables to start, followed by fondue potatoes with cauliflower, pepperoni and chilli, or smoked tofu with celery among the main courses. Vegan Asian comfort food is also available at some other spots in the city – at the Vietnamese restaurants Soy at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, or 1990 Vegan Living in Friedrichshain.
Tianfuzius Regensburger Straße 1, Wilmersdorf, Mon-Fri 12-15.30 & 17.30-23, Sat+Sun 12-23
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Comment FeedVegetarian Butcher
Pamela Selwyn 54 days ago